hi ho Silver, The Lone Ranger rides on....

Since the other thread is being cruelly ignored, here's a fresh one that may be more to your tastes. The Lone Ranger is being made. Depp did take a salary cut to get it going.

According to Variety, part of the savings came from cut CGI sequences, but much of the money came from 20% salary cuts agreed to by Depp, director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

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And it's going to be done his way, not unsurprisingly:

For Depp, the film meant enough to him that he was willing to take the cut, as he often does with his passion projects. As he's often said, he wants to recalibrate the relationship between the title character -- to be played by Armie Hammer -- and Tonto, his traditional Native American sidekick, whom he will portray.

"I like the character. I think I have interesting plans for the character, and I think the film itself could be entertaining and very funny," he recently told MTV. "But also I like the idea of having the opportunity to make fun of the idea of the Indian as a sidekick -- which has always been [the case] throughout the history of Hollywood, the Native American has always been a second-class, third-class, fourth-class citizen, and I don't see Tonto that way at all. So it's an opportunity for me to salute Native Americans."

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That approach seems necessary anway, given the age difference - Depp is old enough to be Hammer's father. The plausible way to do this is for The Lone Ranger to be Luke to Tonto's Obi-Wan, a greenhorn who could get himself in trouble if not for his more experienced mentor. If that's what they have in mind, it's an interesting way to revitalize the story and I'm looking forward to it.

That's certainly an interesting approach, and not inconsistent with Lone Ranger mythology. Tonto saved his life, leading to him adopting the Lone Ranger identity; mentoring could certainly be a part of the process and relationship.

cardinal bigglesPut your hands in the air like you just don't carePremium Member

I'm glad to hear they were able to get the film moving again; of Depp's various upcoming projects, I was looking forward to The Lone Ranger a lot more than Dark Shadows or yet another Pirates sequel.

Depp's use of the word "humor" worries me a bit, though. While I don't want to see The Lone Ranger all dark and gritty like Nolan's Bat-films, neither do I want to see this end up a clusterfuck along the lines of The Green Hornet.

I don't have a problem with making Tonto more prominent and an equal partner to the Lone Ranger, but it's sounding more and more like this is going to be "The Tonto story", which I can't say interests me all that much.

Of course with Verbinski involved I can't help but think this is just going to be another huge, overblown Pirates-style mess anyway...

Which is ironic in that the Green Hornet is a descendant of the Lone Ranger in certain continuities.

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As I understand it, the established canon is this: Capt. William Reid led a posse of Texas Rangers (including his brother John) that was ambushed by the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, or the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight, or whoever. All were killed except John Reid, who was wounded and left for dead. After being found and nursed back to health by Tonto, he assumed the Lone Ranger identity. Britt Reid, aka the Green Hornet, is Capt. William Reid's grandson, making him the Lone Ranger's grandnephew.

The timeline fits, with roughly two generations between the 1880s and the 1930s.

I get the feeling that Depp told Disney that he would only do a Pirates 5 if Disney made Lone Ranger.

Jerry Bruckheimer was able to bring the budget down to 215 million. That's not quite as ridiculous when compared to the original 260 millon. It is amazing that this movies costs so much more than the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

"It was going to be a Tonto show mainly. Tonto as the top dog and more dominant than the Lone Ranger. Tonto and the Indian spirits like Obi Wan Kenobi and the force. The driving engine was going to be Native American occult aspects worked in with werewolves and special effects. But flavored with doses of Native American spirituality in a serious way.

. . . Jerry Bruckheimer was able to bring the budget down to 215 million. That's not quite as ridiculous when compared to the original 260 millon. It is amazing that this movies costs so much more than the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

I get the feeling that Depp told Disney that he would only do a Pirates 5 if Disney made Lone Ranger.

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If he wanted to throw his weight around, he could have refused to take a pay cut. I don't think he played hardball - he just organized a huge concession for Disney in the pay cuts, which is in itself great PR for the movie - greedy Hollywood bastards taking pay cuts to get a movie made? Isn't that one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse? That must be one great script!

And now Disney knows that Depp sort of owes them, and he'd be less likely to kick up a fuss in future negotiations. If the movie tanks, then he really owes them. If the movie is a success, then Disney makes money. It's a no-lose for Disney!

Tonto and the Indian spirits like Obi Wan Kenobi and the force. The driving engine was going to be Native American occult aspects worked in with werewolves and special effects. But flavored with doses of Native American spirituality in a serious way.

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Hey, my guess about The Lone Ranger = Luke and Tonto = Obi-Wan was right on the money! And this actually sounds like a pretty good idea. For Native American mysticism to be introduced into the story is enough justification for werewolves and other supernatural critters. It isn't a subject that has been done to death. This could be good.

I hope they treat things fairly seriously and don't turn it into a POTC style farce. Humor is good, farce not so much.